2018 Sooke Reports

[Tom Mac]

Fished out from Sooke Harbor mouth 400-500 feet of water for Sox this morning no luck! Did pick up 2 coho the small one was short a fin so I didn't come in skunked. Went back out mid afternoon in Pedder Bay picked up one spring 18 pounds on bait, and it was a white one.

 

[Stizzla]

Out in the slop this morning and found them just off the bluffs in the super slop, had a double on and omg the kicker stops got them both in the boat and soon discovered I have a new way of catching socs lol

hahaha I saw that pic and was like, “I don’t get it. Just a normal Yamaha kicker with a prop guard just like mine.” now I look again. Aha! That’s unbelievable.

 

[vicsurfer]

At bit of a rough start this morning. Somehow my partner got the bow line hooked on the roller as I pulled up the ramp . I managed to stop before the boat was pulled up the ramp and luckily only minor gel coat damage. We started at the Head at 6am and were into the usual shakers. Trolled down to the Shack and it was quiet unlike yesterday. We switched over to squirts and headed out to 250-350ft. The Sockeye started out a bit slow but by 10:30 we had 4 fish and lost 5 near the boat. We had other hits too all between 20 and 50ft. Besides the start, it was a great day on the water.

 

[profisher]

I took one of my regular JDF Derby customer and his friend out on Saturday and today, both stellar calm days. Tom jumped on the ferry from the lower mainland after deciding even thou the derby was canceled he still wanted to fish this weekend as usual. A good call that was. Not only did he get to enjoy an entire weekend of flat water he and Karl both took home possession limits for springs, sockeye and topped it off with a 10 pound hatchery coho. I even got to take home a few sockeye for myself today. Springs were scratchy this morning but we managed 2 out of 3 before trolling out and west for sockeye at 10:30. By noon we had enough sockeye, pulled the gear ran west for the peak flood and joined the fleet waiting for the springs to turn on. We got our 3rd and 4th springs in quick succession and called it a day at 2pm. A ll fish today between 40-50 ft.

 

[kingspring]

Big sockeye!!

 

[Stizzla]

Big sockeye!!

Chin-ockeye! Clearly a hybrid.
Those who follow the Bamfield report might get a chuckle out of that one. Nice haul, PF. You’re having a heck of a season!

 

[The Jackel]

That one spring is an old boot already

 

[habberdasher]

That one spring is an old boot already

early bird gets the worm/fish!

 

[DM42]

Took Profishers Advice on here and tried for sockeye for the first time over the weekend. We got 6 on Saturday and 5 on Sunday as well as lost a few others. Thanks Profisher for sharing that info on how you go about fishing for them.

 

[profisher]

It was a small jack and the last fish of the day right at the buzzer. I’ve been taking DNA from all springs so will find out where it is from by next year

 

[The Jackel]

It was a small jack and the last fish of the day right at the buzzer. I’ve been taking DNA from all springs so will find out where it is from by next year

Me thinks a Sooke fish being that dark already, everybody watch out the Jackel is fishing Sooke tomorrow for sox in a friends boat. Has to be at least 10 years since i have fished Sooke, look for the guy with the bucket on his head as i am fishing with a sportsdragger and can't be seen trolling hardware

 

[vicsurfer]

Fished the big ebb this morning from 7:30 - 11:30. Limited out. Went 8 for 10 on sockeye between 6 and 9 lbs.

 

[Mozart]

Yesterday I took my 3 kids out fished between Beechey and Aldridge from 7-4:30.
We fished around 200-300 contour. We got 2 socks in 225’ water both when turning and 3 undersized springs.

Still trying to figure out how to find and troll for sockeye with better success rate.

 

[Englishman]

I took one of my regular JDF Derby customer and his friend out on Saturday and today, both stellar calm days. Tom jumped on the ferry from the lower mainland after deciding even thou the derby was canceled he still wanted to fish this weekend as usual. A good call that was. Not only did he get to enjoy an entire weekend of flat water he and Karl both took home possession limits for springs, sockeye and topped it off with a 10 pound hatchery coho. I even got to take home a few sockeye for myself today. Springs were scratchy this morning but we managed 2 out of 3 before trolling out and west for sockeye at 10:30. By noon we had enough sockeye, pulled the gear ran west for the peak flood and joined the fleet waiting for the springs to turn on. We got our 3rd and 4th springs in quick succession and called it a day at 2pm. AView attachment 39532 ll fish today between 40-50 ft.

Profisher your ability to find the fish is other worldly and supernatural. A true fishing god.

Meanwhile back here on earth, this is a report from an ordinary mortal just 24 hours later. Dropped the lines at 6:00am not far from a few other boats and trolled back and forth, in to 400’ of water and back out to 550’ etc, for 2.5 hours without a single touch from a sockeye. Tried 38’ down to 55’. Just one shaker in that time. Also only saw one fish taken by all the boats out where we were in that period.

Gave up on that and switched to anchovy/herring around Possession. Around 9:30am got a decent hit on the herring at 57’ and brought in a chubby little 10lb fish that fought really well for its small size.

Fished on for three more hours and only had one more shaker in all that time. Here endeth a normal reality show.

Kidding aside, we were glad not to be skunked and I am happy with little left over chinook not caught by the guides. For the life of me I cannot figure out the sockeye this year though. How folks get multiple hits during a single morning is a mystery. (Yes we are using small red and pink squirts on fairly short leaders and have a dummy flasher on each ball as well as the flasher ahead of the squirts.)

 

[kingspring]

Profisher your ability to find the fish is other worldly and supernatural. A true fishing god.

Meanwhile back here on earth, this is a report from an ordinary mortal just 24 hours later. Dropped the lines at 6:00am not far from a few other boats and trolled back and forth, in to 400’ of water and back out to 550’ etc, for 2.5 hours without a single touch from a sockeye. Tried 38’ down to 55’. Just one shaker in that time. Also only saw one fish taken by all the boats out where we were in that period.

Gave up on that and switched to anchovy/herring around Possession. Around 9:30am got a decent hit on the herring at 57’ and brought in a chubby little 10lb fish that fought really well for its small size.

Fished on for three more hours and only had one more shaker in all that time. Here endeth a normal reality show.

Kidding aside, we were glad not to be skunked and I am happy with tiny left over chinook not caught by the guides. For the life of me I cannot figure out the sockeye this year though. How folks get multiple hits during a single morning is a mystery. (Yes we are using small red and pink squirts on fairly short leaders and have a dummy flasher on each ball as well as the flasher ahead of the squirts.)

Try deeper 70 90 100 ?

 

[Bugs]

Out of Cheanu yesterday morning. Out just after 6 and the water of Beechy head initially looked like it was going to be too rough for the 16 ft tinny. As we trolled out it got more managable. 3 Sox before 8 on the way out to the boats fishing at 500 ft... trolled back in towards Secretary and got another about 9. Fished for springs for an hour then gave up. There were some Sox jumping close off Aldridge on the flood on the way back so dropped the pink gear and got two more around 11.... Ended up with 6 and lost a couple more. Nice to get Sockeye bites after 8 am... that's a first this year. Englishman alluded to this too, anyone getting dialed in to how to get them during the day? I am very happy with my hooked to landed ratio for Sox this year. Using a 3/0 Gammy Big River siwash crimped to a swivel in a glow head pink hootchy.

 

[pachito]

Enjoyed the millpond like water this morning with a buddy, late start an got the gear in the water about 730 and had instant action in the 200-500 foot depth.
Blue-green flashers and pink squirts anywhere from 40-80' were producing non stop action with our limit by 9am with a few very large males.
No results with the Yamaha today lol

 

[c.askin]

fished 7.30 t012.30 today off the cliffs in 400 ft. water 40 t0 80 on the rigers 2 sox good size and 1, 8 lb. spring ……...C.A.

 

[halimark]

On water of beachy before 6 today, 555ft as directed. Good soc action then the whales came by around 7.30, seamed they were every where, close, distant and not being molested yet, then an instant soc stop for us. Trolled another 4 hrs and only shakers, hid into the trap for fast flood and the shakers continued. Home at 5 for a full day, nice and flat, cooling breeze and smoke covering burning sun. What an awesome day. Good job to guy and girl in blue HT 17ft, Hurston?, back to back good fish in net.

HM

 

[CIVANO]

Profisher your ability to find the fish is other worldly and supernatural. A true fishing god.

Meanwhile back here on earth, this is a report from an ordinary mortal just 24 hours later. Dropped the lines at 6:00am not far from a few other boats and trolled back and forth, in to 400’ of water and back out to 550’ etc, for 2.5 hours without a single touch from a sockeye. Tried 38’ down to 55’. Just one shaker in that time. Also only saw one fish taken by all the boats out where we were in that period.

Gave up on that and switched to anchovy/herring around Possession. Around 9:30am got a decent hit on the herring at 57’ and brought in a chubby little 10lb fish that fought really well for its small size.

Fished on for three more hours and only had one more shaker in all that time. Here endeth a normal reality show.

Kidding aside, we were glad not to be skunked and I am happy with little left over chinook not caught by the guides. For the life of me I cannot figure out the sockeye this year though. How folks get multiple hits during a single morning is a mystery. (Yes we are using small red and pink squirts on fairly short leaders and have a dummy flasher on each ball as well as the flasher ahead of the squirts.)

I asked the test fishery purse seiner in Port Renfrew for help with catching sockeye and he hesitated but seeing I was old told me to only troll fast enough for the flashers to rotate and only go west on the troll and when the strikes stop, pick up and go back so you go west again. we had success but when it turned off around 7:30 last week it was over. 500' water 35 and 55 down with cone zone on 1 downrigger